John W. Williamson was born at Delavan, Wisconsin, on June 28, 1850. He came to Nebraska in 1871 and filed a homestead claim in Boone County. He worked for the U.S. Government on the Pawnee Indian Reservation, teaching farming practices. In 1874 Williamson accompanied the Pawnee on their move to Indian Territory. He was with the Pawnee when they encountered a group of Sioux Indians on August 5, 1873. This encounter became known as the Battle of Massacre Canyon.

Williamson married Carrie Atwood on April 25, 1874, and the couple would have four children. The Williamsons eventually moved to Genoa, Nance County, where John worked at the Genoa Indian School. In 1922 Williamson authored the book, The Battle of Massacre Canyon. John W. Williamson died in 1927 and is buried in Valley View Cemetery at Genoa.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

This collection consists of one reel of microfilm containing fourteen manuscripts arranged in three series: 1) Autobiography and reminiscences; 2) Pawnee Indians; and 3) Nance County history. The material in this collection relates to the Battle of Massacre Canyon, to the history, customs and folklore of the Pawnee, and to the early history of Genoa and Nance County, Nebraska. The materials were loaned for microfilming by the Williamson family in 1965.

Also included is one folder containing a newspaper clipping from 1903 about the moving of the Pawnee to Indian Territory, and several pieces of correspondence between John W. Williamson, David Gillingham, and A.E. Sheldon of the Nebraska State Historical Society. The correspondence mostly relates to Williamson’s time with the Pawnee and efforts to get photographs of certain members of the tribe.

Note: See the photo component [RG2710.PH] for related images. See the library for a copy of Williamson’s The Battle of Massacre Canyon [970.1 W67].